Abstract: Regions of elevated eddy kinetic energy (EKE) downstream from major topographic ridge systems of the Southern Ocean are analogous to atmospheric storm tracks. Typically investigated using a 3-dimensional wave activity flux framework, dynamics of storm tracks are primarily governed by energy transfers between the mean and eddy field. Here, three years of high-resolution numerical model output is used to diagnose these eddy-mean field interactions and the physical mechanisms responsible for initiating and maintaining the Southeast Indian Ridge storm track in the Southern Ocean. Temporal variability of oceanic storm track dynamics are distinguished from the three year mean. Background dynamics are found to be primarily governed by the vertical wave activity flux, corresponding to the baroclinic conversion of energy from the mean to eddy field. This term suggests ubiquitous baroclinic growth across the domain but largely enhanced in the crest of the standing meander. Large variability in array averaged EKE however is found to be dominated by the horizontal wave activity flux terms, corresponding to the barotropic conversion of energy. This variability is event driven and, when decomposed into synoptic storm track case studies, shown in this study to be analogous to atmospheric downstream development, a process by which wave-train like propagation is sustained by the barotropic growth, flux and decay of energy in the along stream direction. Anomalously large local increases in EKE are attributed to an extremely extended meander which obstructs the typical propagation of these barotropic perturbations. These major events are compared to an atmospheric omega block and hypothesized to significantly increase eddy heat and tracer fluxes and therefore play a sizable role in the eddy driven arm of the Southern Ocean overturning circulation.